A Grimm Life

Orphan

*Scrub* *Scrub* *Scrub*

I continue scrubbing the floor, doing my best to clean the rotting wooden floor. But it's almost to no avail. No matter what I do, the stains refuse to clear out. My stomach grumbles from starvation. Now that I think about it, the last time I ate was just over a week ago. A low groan leaves my lips as I continue scrubbing. 

A few minutes pass before I hear oncoming footsteps, making my eyes widen. My breathing turns a little shaky and my efforts double to clean the floor. All of a sudden, the footsteps halt right in front of me. I slowly look up to see the owner of the orphanage. A mean old hag with more wrinkles than an actual face. She glares down at me with hazy brown eyes. 

Before I can explain anything, she raises her foot and stomps on my hand, making me scream as her heel digs into the back of my hand, stabbing it. She twists her heel, making the pain boil in agony. I try to keep myself quiet, but it's too much. She then pulls her heel out of my hand and spits down on me. 

Woman: Clean that up and then head to your room. 

I whimper as she walks away, leaving me alone. My hand feels weak and I can barely move it. Groaning, I pull myself up to my knees and use my left hand to clean up the blood I spilled. Thankfully, it hadn't stained too much and too quickly. After cleaning up the floor from my blood, I push myself up to my feet and begin to walk back to my bedroom. The bedrooms were in a worse condition than the rest of the orphanage though... 

I approach the door and reach for the doorknob, but it immediately falls apart. Years of decay whittled it down to nothing. I enter the bedroom and see the windows were boarded up. The walls had holes in them with dark stains littered all over. The floorboards were broken apart in most places and the beds weren't even beds. They were just metal frames for beds. Sleeping was... really uncomfortable for all the kids. 

I sigh and lie on my "bed", keeping my injured hand close to my chest. My black wolf tail curls up around my body in a weak attempt to provide warmth. I close my eyes and do my best to fall asleep. 

I don't know how much time passes, but I hear someone else enter the room. It wasn't an adult as the footsteps were too light. I then feel a hand brush across my tail, prompting me to open my eyes. My body instantly calms as I recognise the young girl. 

???: Cinder...? 

Cinder: Mutasim... Your hand. Show me. 

Mutasim: I-I'm fine. 

She shakes her head and pries my injured hand to her, her eyes softening as she notices the damage. 

Cinder: Did "she" do this? 

I nod quietly, my wolf ears falling. Cinder pats my head, trying to reassure me. 

Cinder: Sit up, I've got something for this. 

I do as she says and sit up on the edge of the bed frame. Cinder takes a seat next to me and takes a clean cloth, dabbing at my wound. I wince quietly. 

Cinder: Sorry. 

Mutasim: It's okay. Thank you. 

She nods and continues cleaning the injury. Once it's cleaned as much as she can do, she pulls out a clean sock from her pocket. I frown. 

Mutasim: Cinder? Where did you get that from? We only get clean clothes every month. It's still a long time before we get them. 

Cinder: Just be sure to hide your hand when the old hag is around. I stole it when I was working on the laundry. 

I nod and lower my injured hand. 

Mutasim: Cinder... Have you ever thought about just... running away from all of this? 

Cinder: I have. But... Where would we go? 

Mutasim: "We"?

Cinder: What? You didn't think I'd leave you alone here, did you? Ever since the first day, you've always had my back. I want to have yours too. 

Hearing her support me made me smile a little. I didn't know what having a friend was like, but I was almost certain what Cinder and I had together was just like it, maybe better. 

Mutasim: Right. Well... That'd be the fun of the adventure, wouldn't it? Exploring the world outside of this mess. 

Cinder: I guess so. So... How about it? Should we run away together? 

Not even bothering to think it through, I nod with a smile. 

Mutasim: Yes. Once we manage to get some food, we'll leave this place. 

Cinder: Sounds good to me. Goodnight, Mutasim. 

She pulls me into a quick and warm hug before going to her bed which was opposite mine. We lie down and do our best to fall asleep. The idea of leaving this hole was almost too good to be true. 

But... Life has a twisted way of working...